Table of Contents

Part One New analytical concepts for the anthropological study of the performance of Islamic rituals: the rain rituals as rites of spiritual passage; the comparative study of Muslim societies and Islamic rituals. Part Two In the marble courtyard - a study on al-Sayyida Zaynab, patron saint of women: introduction; al-Sayyida Zaynab in Cairo and in the hearts of the Egyptians; al-Sayyida Zaynab, patron saint of women - the dream and the reality; women's lives and the Fatawi that guide them; the world of the Mawlid - celebrations by people and government; the great night and the dawn festivities. Part Three A comparative study of the performance of Islamic and secular rituals: Ramadan in Cairo; spring rites in Cairo.